Dowell Loggains – September 20, 2018
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Thursday, September 20, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains
(The skill that WR Albert Wilson has at that size to be able to shed tackles, have you seen that before from a guy with his stature?) – “How are you referring to his stature?”
(As far as size – 5-foor-7 – WR Albert Wilson is obviously not a guy who’s enormous weight-wise.) – “When you get up on Albert, the one thing that you notice is his lower body is thick. He has really strong in the lower body. Obviously, he creates … He’s an explosive lower-body athlete. He has some suddenness. But he’s strong in the lower body.”
(I saw one website, I don’t know if it’s true, but they said that T Laremy Tunsil has only allowed – you’re probably a better source than this website – one pressure all season. I don’t know if that sounds about right, but what are you seeing in terms of in what areas he’s just really good right now?) – “Someone asked that question last week. That was a guy I said since I’ve been here that I saw grow the most. I think a strength of Laremy’s has definitely been pass pro. He’s doing a good job of … I think playing with Josh Sitton for that limited time was a big asset to him as well. That was Sitton’s biggest strength was in pass protection and Laremy has done a really good job taking it really serious. I’ve said it in the spring, the other advantage Laremy had was going against ‘94’ (Robert Quinn) every day and I think he grew because of that.”
(So is it accurate, one pass pressure?) – “I don’t know that. I’m sorry. You guys will find out that I’m not good with stats. But it’s probably … There haven’t been very many.”
(And T Ja’Wuan James’ play the first couple of weeks, how would you assess that?) – “I’ve been pleased with it. He’s played hard, played aggressive. I thought the first game he played really well. Last week was solid. He had a good game. He’s done everything we’ve asked, played hard and he’s been an asset for us.”
(Can the run game and the efficiency you guys have had in the run game, can that be sustained?) – “Each week, it’s going to change and each individual matchup is different. We knew last week was going to be tough. That’s a really good defense. It’s very well coordinated by (Jets Defensive Coordinator) Kacy Rodgers and (Jets Head Coach) Todd Bowles. They do a tremendous job. Our guys executed the plan well. I thought there was some stuff that helped scheme-wise and the RPOs (run-pass options) and obviously using ‘15’ (Albert Wilson) in some different ways. So, we’ll find different ways to run it. You’d love to say, ‘Sure, it’s going to be great every week,’ but there is going to come a time in the NFL when you’re going to have to throw it 45 times to win a game. Obviously, we’d love to have balance every week and be able to play the game on our terms and be able to do that; but at some point, somebody’s going to load up the box and try to take it away.”
(I saw Head Coach Adam Gase was out there with, what do they call it, foam pads?) – “The big orange things with the receivers?”
(And someone said at one point that Head Coach Adam Gase hit TE Mike Gesicki in the face.) – “You guys don’t have much right now, do you? (laughter) This is where we’re going? (laughter)”
(I want to ask you about TE Mike Gesicki and what he’s shown in terms of separation and what do you call that, escaping jams?) – “Separation is the best term for it, absolutely. He’s getting better with it. The interception we threw in the red area against Tennessee, his release wasn’t great. He slipped off line; we left the ball inside a little bit. Obviously, it’s a point of emphasis for the head coach to come over and do that. Right there, when the head coach lines up in front of you with those big, orange pads, you know all of a sudden it’s real. But it’s something we’re going to continue to work on him with. He’s getting a better feel for it, but it is an area he has to improve on, because he has drawn … There were a couple times last week where he drew some double coverage and they were bumping him off the line of scrimmage and people are aware of where he’s at. Everyone knows we drafted him to be a playmaker for us and he’s actually drawing some attention that’s freeing some other guys up.”
(Did you have time this week to attend the TE Nick O’Leary workout or is that more of a General Manager Chris Grier and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum thing?) – “I was there. I did go out. Chris and Mike do a great job of scheduling those things, so it was at 7 a.m. We don’t start meetings until 7:30, so I was able to go over there and watch it. He’s an impressive guy. I’m glad he’s here. We needed some depth there and we’re excited to get him in the practice field and see what he does. I paid attention to him a little bit today, made a play on a corner route for us. Obviously, you know the name because of Florida State and he had a good career and being in Buffalo. We’re really excited to have him here and work with him.”
(The skillset there that could intrigue you guys is mostly at receiver. Is he a receiving tight end or what would you say?) – “It’s early for us to say. He’s obviously had some success that way. He’s a guy … He’s thicker than you think he is. When he got here and we got to see him, he’s got some size. He’s not the longest guy in the world, but he’s got some thickness. I can just see what he does in the run game.”
(When you have a lot of people that can make plays at a certain position, I’m talking about wide receiver. And you are adding a guy that hasn’t played the first two games in WR DeVante Parker. Does that cause a good problem for you, as in now you’ve got to spread it out a little thinner, and how do you resolve that problem? Is it just taking care of itself? How does that get resolved?) – “I think some of that takes care of itself. We’re obviously excited to have DeVante and get him back on the field and get him going. He’s a guy that he’s been here before. Coach Gase and the rest of the staff have a good feel for him. He was able to go through OTAs before he got banged up. Any time you’re able to get a talented player on the field, we’re excited about it. There will be parts of the game where things are designed to go to him. Now maybe coverage dictates the ball goes somewhere else, but he’ll have plays just like the rest of them do. The coverage will dictate where the ball goes. Sometimes we’ll scheme plays and sometimes the ball doesn’t go where it’s supposed to go. Ryan (Tannehill) does a good job of going to number two or number three in the progression.”
(What does WR DeVante Parker bring to the table? That’s a very diverse array of wide receivers, what makes him different?) – “The length. We’re not the tallest group of receivers, but I wouldn’t say we’re small either because most of them are put together pretty well. Albert (Wilson) and Jakeem (Grant) are both thick guys. They’re strong. That’s the thing that he has. He can run, he’s big, but he has length.”
(How did the interior of the offensive line, the three guys collectively, work together and perform and execute in the last game?) – “They were solid. They really were. Ted (Larsen) came in and did a nice job filling in for the role that Josh (Sitton) was going to fill. I thought Jesse (Davis) played really well. He probably played his best game. (Daniel) Kilgore was solid and Ted stepped in and did a nice job.”
(Is TE A.J. Derby the main guy on that play, the first read on that touchdown?) – “No.”
(It seemed like…) – “Yes. Is he the first read? Yes. Did it happen in the timing of the play? Absolutely not. You talk about the interior of the offensive line, they did a great job, because it really turned into a scramble drill. Derby is one, the back is two and then Ryan (Tannehill) had so much time in the pocket that he was able to create a scramble drill right there and A.J. found a soft spot in the zone and got there. The protection was so good that Ryan saw it and threw a missile to him.”
(I wanted to ask you about those four sacks. A lot of people are saying that QB Ryan Tannehill held onto the ball too long. Some people, myself included, are saying nothing was open there, that maybe he could’ve thrown the ball away. How do you view those four sacks?) – “Number one, at the quarterback spot, we’re always going to take responsibility. Absolutely Ryan needs to get the ball out, regardless. We don’t want to take sacks on first and second-down plays. We don’t want to take sacks on naked (bootlegs). That’s a cardinal sin for us. We need to do a better job with that stuff. The offensive line protected pretty good for the most part. There’s always going to be some things … There’s an element of everything involved in it. Sometimes it’s coverage, sometimes it is us making a poor decision at quarterback, sometimes it’s getting beat inside. I’d have to go back and look at all four of them. I know there were a couple like the naked (bootlegs). That doesn’t need to happen. That should never happen. It’s our responsibility to get rid of the ball and Ryan is definitely a talented enough player, a good enough player, to do that.”
Darren Rizzi – September 20, 2018
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Thursday, September 20, 2018
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(It occurred to me that the first kicker drafted in 2016 – Roberto Aguayo – obviously to this point hasn’t worked out. The first kicker drafted in 2018 – Daniel Carlson – was just cut. People might look at this and say ‘why isn’t necessarily the best kicker working?’ In regard to you thinking outside the box with some of your kicker selections – Andrew Franks – obviously this year with Jason Sanders, who came out of nowhere to some, so is evaluating kickers simply more than looking at who had the best percentage and the biggest name in college kicking and thinking that would translate?) – “Yes. The answer is absolutely yes. I’ve mentioned this before, we talked about Jason and us bringing Jason in, drafting Jason, and certainly with Greg (Joseph) as well – neither of those guys had necessarily great field goal percentages in college but there’s so much more to that position. The short answer is number one, it’s a very hard transition at the position from college to the NFL, maybe more than people would give it credit for. It may be one of the hardest transitions aside from quarterback because of many reasons. The hashes are different, the football is different, the yardage that you hold the spot of the (kick) from the snap is a lot of times different – another yard. There’s many factors that factor in. Your operation changes – you have a different holder, a different snapper. There’s a lot of variables that go into it. So yes, a lot of times there might be a guy that ‘on paper’ that might seem like the best choice, but when you dive in deeper and you’re looking for guys that transition better from college to the NFL – and I think that’s what we try to do here – is kind of look for the best fits there. I think that’s why sometimes you see maybe the named guys sometimes don’t pan out, because of that transition. Those guys you mentioned are very talented. It’s not just talent alone at that position that gets it done. There are a lot of other factors that go into it – mindset, the accuracy, all of those things that I mentioned earlier. It’s a difficult task for those guys a lot of times to transition from the college to the NFL game.”
(When you have a situation like P Matt Haack, where he gives you such great field position, how unique is that to get from a punter for an entire game?) – “It really was. He was lights out. He just had a fantastic game. I think going in, obviously we felt like that was going to be – and it’s every game, don’t get me wrong – but we made actually a big deal last week about the field position and certainly the quarterback we were playing against last week and trying to make him go with some long fields and things like that, and Matt was a weapon. Sometimes, you get two or three shots inside the 20 and he had five in one game. Really, it was six. Statistically it’s not six; but he had six punts, and all six of the drives that the Jets started off the next possession, all started off inside the 20. The sixth one was a penalty and Walt (Aikens) got blocked in the back right in front of the returner there, so they actually started the drive I think inside the 15-yard line on that one as well. He was really 6-for-6 – statistically he gets credit for five – but just a really good job. There’s a lot of game plan that is involved with the punt game – the direction, the hang time, the location, the distance, all of those things. He just had a really tremendous game. The incredible thing about Matt Haack – I’ve said this before and I’ll continue to say it – I actually think that he still has room for improvement. As good as he’s been and as good as he was last Sunday, he’s a guy that’s really, in my opinion, still just scratching the surface. He’s a very talented guy. The finer points of his game, I think he really improved on in the offseason. We’re kind of seeing that and last Sunday is kind of evidence of that.”
(What’s the next step for P Matt Haack? Just consistency?) – “Yes. We talked about this a little bit. Last year, I thought he started the season really well. It’s a long haul for rookie punters. Those guys really punt for about 18 months in a row because they’re training, they’re getting ready for the Combine and they really don’t have a break. So, I thought he hit a wall a little bit last year. I don’t want to call it a dead leg, but he lost a little bit of juice, if you will. This year, the training regimen is a little bit different. His annual process was a little bit different and certainly the consistency. I think what we’ve seen so far, from training camp until now, he’s been much improved in that area.”
(I wanted to ask you about what I call the dreaded trio.) – “(laughter) Let me guess – ‘34’ (Senorise Perry), ‘35’ (Walt Aikens), ‘38’ (Brandon Bolden).”
(Yes. Very important guys in terms of the roles that they play. How much do you rely on them to sort of be the guys that make things happen on that unit?) – “Obviously Walt has certainly been a leader for us these last couple years. He kind of leads the charge of that group. Senorise is a guy that really came on a lot last year. He was a guy that really played solid football, very consistent football. He’s fast, physical. Then you add Brandon Bolden to that mix. He’s a guy that’s obviously had a lot of background. We talked about that last week, (that he’s) a consistent player and a guy with a really good background in that area. Those three guys, all in their own right, give us some different job; but they all give us productivity. All three of those guys are a very integral part of what we do.”
(How do you figure out what is the best role for each of them?) – “It’s a week-to-week thing, a lot of times with the game plan. Special teams overall is a little bit more of a matchup game than offense and defense. You’re matching up one-on-one situations. The good thing about all three of those guys is they give you a lot of flexibility. They can give you a lot of position flex. You can move those guys around, which we do in all the phases. Especially in the kick game, the kick return game and the punt block return game, those guys can be matchup nightmares for the opponent at times, if you put them in a good position. And by the same token, it can work in your favor in the blocking schemes and they can match up on different types of bodies. Having that position flex, especially in that aspect of special teams, is a huge deal. Not being a one-trick-pony, if you will.”
(So you go into a game and you kind of use CB/S Walt Aikens like a chess piece?) – “Really, every player. Every player from that aspect is like a chess piece in terms of making matchups and trying to figure out number one, how we are going to defend our opponent, and number two, how we are going to tackle our opponent; and trying to get those guys in a position where they can make the most amount of plays. A lot of times, we’re not locked into one spot. If you use the kickoff game for example, a lot of times you’ll see those guys line up in multiple positions based on maybe where our opponent is lining up, what their scheme is and things like that. It’s definitely a bit of a chess match, for sure.”
(How did CB Cornell Armstrong do and how is WR Tanner McEvoy doing?) – “I’ll start with Armstrong. That’s a unique situation we have going on right there at corner. Week-to-week, it’s kind of a competitive deal we have going on to see who’s going to be active. I thought last week he got a chance. I think I mentioned it here, I thought he was one of the most improved players throughout training camp from when we started back in the spring. He got his first shot the other day. I think he played 14 or 15 snaps and really, he graded out pretty well. I thought for a guy to jump in there for the first time and his first real NFL game, not counting the preseason games, I thought this guy graded out pretty well. He played fast. It didn’t seem like it was too big for him, so that was a really positive step. McEvoy is another guy who can play a lot of spots and has played a lot of spots for Seattle the last couple of years. You saw he had a tackle last week on the one punt that got returned. He was the guy down there making the tackle. He’s a guy that came right in and kind of quarterbacked our punt team those first couple games as the ‘P.P.’ (personal protector) – that’s the guy kind of making all the calls. He’s a guy we’ve also moved around. Again, he’s another guy that is going to wear a lot of hats and that’s kind of why we brought him here.”
(How did RB Kalen Ballage grade out on special teams in the preseason?) – “Obviously he missed a couple games in the middle, so it was Game 1 and Game 4. In Game 4, he actually played very well on special teams. We had him play multiple positions in that game on purpose because we hadn’t seen him in two games and kind of wanted to see what he could do in different situations. He does have a little bit of a special teams background. He’s one of those players that is a rare kind of bird because he’s a running back that played special teams in college. There’s not a lot of those, especially coming out of the Power 5 conferences. You don’t see a lot of running backs playing on core teams, especially in the coverage. So he did have a little bit of a background. His college special teams coach is a former NFL coach (Shawn Slocum), a guy that coached as a special teams coordinator in the NFL for the Packers, so he’s a guy that had a really good background coming in. We’re very happy with him. He’s in a position right now, obviously it’s a very competitive position. I know we mentioned some of those guys – (Brandon) Bolden, (Senorise) Perry – that are gives us special teams reps. Certainly, he’s done nothing wrong. It’s just a situation where he just has to stay on top of his stuff and eventually, just like Cornell (Armstrong), he’s going to get an opportunity here whether it’s this week or moving forward. I expect big things out of him because he really has a good foundation.”
(On the CB Cornell Armstrong-CB Cordrea Tankersley dynamic, the week of competition, does that also include how they perform in practice on special teams or is it who’s the better cornerback and then that person will play special teams on Sunday?) – “It’s definitely a combo. Obviously, you look at our cornerback position and ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) and Bobby (McCain) and Torry (McTyer) and ‘Tank’ and Cornell – certainly the guys that are three, four and five – their special teams roles are definitely a huge part in that. It’s also a constant conversation with the defensive staff with what they’re doing game plan-wise. It’s definitely a combination. We want to make sure that if they need to go in on defense or if they’re playing on defense, we’re giving them the best shot and certainly on special teams, we’re giving ourselves the best opportunity, too. The good news is it’s a competitive deal. It’s not like you have one guy who’s so deficient in one area and not the other. It’s not that kind of thing right now. It’s a close battle, it’s a week-to-week thing, and I think it’s healthy to be honest with you. The competition makes everything better, so I kind of like where we are at that position.”
Matt Burke – September 20, 2018
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Thursday, September 20, 2018
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
(How is LB Raekwon McMillan doing? And can you talk about LB Jerome Baker as well?) – “They’re both doing well. They’re both progressing in the roles we’re asking them to play. I think it’s sort of been a recurring theme for me up here with Raekwon. You forget, just because of his maturity, that he hasn’t played a lot of football for us. I thought he got a lot better last week coming downhill in the run game and striking a little bit and playing a little bit stouter for us and firmer in there for us. So I was happy to see him do that and kind of make that step. He had a couple of really good shots taking on o-linemen and doing some of the things that we’re really looking for him to do. I’m happy with his progression and again, I’m always kind of cautious with myself as well, because his maturity and his presence kind of makes you think he’s well ahead of where he is sometimes. There’s still some things he has to work on but he’s been doing good. (Jerome) Baker is probably the same way. Obviously there’s a different style of play and personalities but the things we’re asking Baker to do and the roles that we’re trying to put Jerome in, he’s doing a good job for us. Honestly, I thought I probably should have gotten Baker in a little bit more last week in some different situations. The game had a little different rhythm to it. I probably could have gotten him on the field a bit more. I’ll try to utilize his skillset a little bit better.”
(LB Chase Allen opened with the starters on Sunday just because of a unique package?) – “Yes. We’re trying to roll those guys and give guys different roles. Obviously Chase is a bigger linebacker and has a giant head on him and can use that to do some things. (laughter) We just try to use him a little bit and take some stuff off them and try to put all of the guys in a position to succeed and to utilize each of their skillsets. Chase is a guy that’s proven to us that he’s capable of playing on Sundays, so we’re going to try to find a role that he can help us win ball games.”
(Explain to me your thought process … Obviously S Reshad Jones’ shoulder injury is something you have to be careful with because of the nature of his position; but if you are forced to play without him, does S Minkah Fitzpatrick go back there or are you comfortable with him with where he is at nickel? Does S Maurice Smith get into the equation there?) – “All of that. Part of the reason we train the guys the way we train them is (because) you’re never going to go through a season 100 percent healthy. Even if it’s just little bumps and bruises and nicks and a play here and there – or a series – that’s one of the reasons we’ve cross-trained a lot of those guys at different spots. I think the ability for Minkah (Fitzpatrick) to play a couple of different spots and for Bobby (McCain) to do the same and some of those guys, and obviously bringing ‘Mo’ (Maurice Smith) up as a guy that’s been in the system and been around the program, it’s not like he’s a new player for us. He has a familiarity and all of those guys (do). It’s the same. It’s probably a similar answer to the linebackers. We’ll take a look at how we have to play certain guys, whether it’s the safeties or the nickels, and put those guys out (there); but all of those options are available to us, which helps. I wouldn’t say that … We continue to try to get Minkah some work at different spots, so it’s not like he’s only been playing down in the nickel and now (we) don’t want to move him back there. We keep training those guys and moving guys around. He’s been getting work at a lot of different positions and again, we feel good. We’ll feel good about putting them all in a spot that we think is the best group to go win on Sunday.”
(Has CB Bobby McCain’s work outside in the first two games been pretty much what you anticipated you’d get from him?) – “Yes, certainly. Again, Bobby is a guy that you know what you’re going to get. He’s going to compete and bite your face off and play hard and do it right, do it the way you’re asking. And that’s what he’s done. We can win with that, for sure. He’s done a good job. He saved us. He made a hell of a play at the end of the half there (last week). That’s an unbelievable play by him. He’s been good.”
(What physical trait does CB Bobby McCain have that maybe stands out above others?) – “He’s quick. He’s a quick player. I know people think he’s sort of a smaller guy, but he’s a physical player at the corner position, for a ‘shorter guy.’ With his quickness – and he can strike people and stuff – he can get hands on (guys) and can mirror routes and stuff like that. Again, he’s used to playing in the slot where there’s a lot of stuff going on in there. He’s had to fit in the run game, so he’s not afraid to do that. He’s got a physical presence to his game. Then also, he’s had to matchup against a lot of quick players in that role. So moving out there, that just hasn’t been a change for him. He’s kind of utilized that skillset – his quickness, his toughness, his tenacity – and kind of just transferred it a couple of yards outside.”
(If you weren’t a defensive coach, how much would you enjoy watching Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch play?) – “That’s hard to get out of your blood there. I mean I respect the way he plays, obviously, and has played for a while. As a defensive coach, I think just by nature, you’re – we have an offensive head coach (laughter) – you appreciate the physical nature of the game. We try to pride ourselves on being a physical team and a physical defense and that’s kind of something … On our side of the ball, that’s kind of how you have to play. Obviously when you have an offensive player that plays a physical brand, there’s a level of admiration and respect for a guy that has done it for a long time and runs hard. To me, he’s one of those guys that you know what you’re getting and he knows what he’s getting type of thing. He’s not afraid to go mix it up. I have a level of respect and admiration for the way he plays and how hard he runs. He’s a tough, hard-nosed dude and fights for yards and all of that stuff. Yes, I have a level of respect for the way he plays the game, for sure.”
(In what areas has CB Xavien Howard made the most improvement since you got your hands on him?) – “I think with ‘X’ it always was … I think his physical skillset really has never been a question. He’s tall, long, he can run and all of that sort of stuff. I feel like I probably answered this last year but his growth comes from the knowledge of the game and start to understand how teams are attacking him or just seeing the nuances of splits and leverages and route concepts and matching things. The more that he plays for us and the more he sees … Again, if you go back that far, I think some of the things that he missed where he lost some time as a rookie with the injuries and some of those things where he just didn’t get that bank of knowledge. So the more he plays, I think he just keeps growing, and the confidence of understanding what an offense is doing to attack him and recognizing splits and stems and route concepts and studying those sorts of things. So I think his football knowledge and his awareness just keeps expanding the more he’s on the field with us, which is sort of like a cyclical thing. His confidence grows and you see with ‘X’ when … If we practice something and we’re like, ‘Hey, if they line up like this, this is what you’re going’ and it happens and he jumps it, then he gets confident about that. Then it just sort of builds. Now he’s like ‘Okay, give me something else that I can sink my teeth into.’ Him having success recognizing certain patterns and routes and those sorts of things lends to confidence, which then kind of re-folds back into he wants more and more. The more he experiences that and has success with that, I think he just keeps growing as a football player.”
(Everyone saw the pass to Jets RB Bilal Powell – the touchdown. What did LB Raekwon McMillan do the rest of the game on pass defense and what does he have to do to keep that from happening again?) – “Listen, he had poor technique on that. He opened his hips up on it and he was worried about … He kind of over-committed to the flat route and Powell angled back underneath him. But we should have a little bit of help there. We shouldn’t isolate him like that. It’s not just him. We need to get that down on the ground and live to fight another play. I put him in a hard spot. But he can help himself with better technique. He kind of flipped his hips and tried to run and (said) ‘I’ve got to get out there right now,’ and then when the guy angled back, he couldn’t get his hips back to kind of plant and come underneath it. I put him in a tough spot, he didn’t have great technique and then we didn’t get help from anywhere else that we probably should have, from a couple of spots. So it was kind of a multitude of things. It wasn’t just on him. I think everyone sort of highlights that but I don’t know if you noticed him the rest of the game in the passing game.”
(No. That’s what I’m asking.) – “Which is a good thing. I think that’s probably the answer more than … I’m not trying to throw that back at you. (McMillan) didn’t get targeted a lot. He was in the right spot. Again, he has a really good feel. (It’s) maybe the opposite of that last answer with ‘X’ (Xavien Howard). He has a good feel for route concepts and what’s happening in the passing game. So when we play him in zone coverages and those sorts of things, he kind of has an understanding of ‘that guy is going here. This is probably what’s going to show up in this window.’ He does a good job of closing windows in zone coverages and recognizing route concepts and those sorts of things to put himself in a good spot. If we’re playing those types of coverages, he usually doesn’t get targeted a lot because he’s in the right spot and he’s closing down whatever windows he’s supposed to be closing down. Again, I put him in somewhat of a man matchup there and it’s a tough matchup for him. He can help himself with better technique and we’ve got a couple of our guys that need to help him finish that play off better too. But I thought for the most part, he did a pretty good job on some of the stuff we were asking him to do. That offense is a quick passing game offense. The ball is out and they’re running all of those screens and shield type plays and those sorts of things. So he has to be a guy that’s running and hitting and making a lot of tackles because the ball is going to be in the hands of those receivers quick. I thought he did a good job with some of that stuff.”
(Is LB Jerome Baker close to competing for playing time in the nickel?) – “Sure. Yes. We work him. He got a couple of reps last week. Maybe that’s a place where I can get him a little bit more work in that world – a matchup like that, putting a little bit more speed on the field. He’s got to earn it. He still has a ways to go in some areas. Yes, he’s done a good job in that. We keep kind of spoon-feeding him a little bit more and more. It’s sort of trickle-down economics and getting him a little bit more every day. Hopefully it fills him up a little bit and he’s ready to go. He’s fine. It’s not that we don’t have confidence in him. It’s just finding the right time and right spot to get all of those guys on the field, whichever matchups we like.”
(Based on the stage of where LB Jerome Baker is in his career, is LB Kiko Alonso still, in your mind, the person best equipped in coverage at linebacker?) – “This game has become such a matchup game. I think that’s week to week. There’s probably some … Kiko probably has about 15 pounds on Baker. There’s times where we feel that’s probably a better matchup (because) he’s taller, longer and a little bit of a bigger body. That may be a week where we feel that’s a better matchup for us. Baker is quicker and obviously lower to the ground. He can run. He’s probably – don’t tell Kiko I said this – but he’s probably faster straight outright and stuff like that. So those are different matchups. Sometimes we’ll say we like Kiko in this role and sometimes it may be Baker. Obviously I thought Kiko played an outstanding game last week. I have no qualms about the way he’s been playing football for us.”
(We’ve beaten you to death with tight end questions and concerns the last couple of years. You guys made some major moves. S Minkah Fitzpatrick and LB Jerome Baker are supposed to help with the tight end. How confident are you that it’ll make a difference against a player like Raiders TE Jared Cook?) – “Yes, obviously Jared has had a successful season so far. He’s had a lot of targets. Obviously he had some success against us last year. That’s part of the reason we tried to bring some of the players in that we brought in. It’s similar in terms of having matchups and players that we like and different body types in different roles for different types of players. Cook is a guy that obviously we have to be aware of and what they’re trying to do with him. They’re trying to get him the ball in a lot of scenarios. Yes, that’s the game plan is to try to have some different body types to throw at him and try to take some of his game away.”
(How different is it for a defensive play-caller when you know an offense like the Patriots or Oakland, their primary receiver is the tight end? He’s not the guy getting the check-down, he’s getting a good amount of targets.) – “I don’t know that necessarily it matters in terms of what position that player plays. Every week there’s going to be one or two guys that you’re saying ‘Hey, these are their guys.’ It’s not like we’re going to put six guys on (Jared) Cook and leave Amari Cooper hanging out by himself either. There’s always (things) built in with certain calls that you just like better, that sort of feature more positive coverage on some of those guys. The fact that he’s a tight end, I don’t know if that changes a whole lot of stuff in terms of it’s more like these are the calls we’re going to lean on or the ways we’re going to try to isolate those guys. With a guy like Cook, they flex him out a lot. So he ends up being in wide receiver spots anyways. It’s not like he’s always doing it from the line of scrimmage. That’s a different release point than some other spots. I think that’s just every week. If you want to talk general stuff, we look at what they’re trying to do on offense and we try to take it away. So obviously every week there’s going to be a couple of guys that they’re trying to feature and get the ball to, and it’s our job to try to negate that. This week, he happens to probably be one of those players.”
(What have you seen from DE Charles Harris in the first two games?) – “Honestly, I think he’s a little bit like Raekwon (McMillan), just in terms of he’s getting better and better every day. He had the sack negated last week (by a penalty). I don’t want to say I felt bad for him but it would have been good. He had a sack and was kind of getting the momentum going. I think he gets frustrated sometimes. He hasn’t had as many of the positive results – end results – statistically. He’s had a lot of pressures for us and affected plays but he just hasn’t had that putting up sack numbers, which I think he gets frustrated by sometimes. It was cool to see him get the sack. It stinks that it was taken away by the NZI (neutral zone infraction); but again, all we really want him to do is get off the ball and cause havoc. He’s an explosive player. We just keep telling him ‘put your hand down, get off and good things will happen.’ I thought he was better last week – this past week – than the first week, in terms of doing that stuff. Again, I hope all of these guys are on a trend that we just keep getting better every week and getting better every week. He’s still a young player for us. He played more obviously than Raekwon did last year but I just hope all of those young players keep on that trend. If we keep saying every week, ‘Okay, he got better. He got better.’ We don’t want him to press. Those results will come. If he keeps playing the techniques and style that we want him to play, those will come. It’s a luxury to have a first-round draft pick that we’re throwing three or four other guys in with. It’s nice that he plays 20 to 30 snaps, or whatever it is, and he can throw his fastballs and give us different looks. I think if he just keeps playing the techniques and playing the style we’re asking him to play, the statistical results will come because he has done some positive things for us. I think we just try to teach him not to get frustrated, stay the course and that stuff will work out.”
Adam Gase – September 20, 2018
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Thursday, September 20, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Are you more encouraged by S Reshad Jones’ progress today than you were yesterday?) – “Yes. Him going out there, that’s a positive step for us. We’ll go through the rest of the week. This is a big one day at a time for him. I know how he feels about making sure that he’s there every Sunday. We just want him to take the proper steps and listen to the trainers. Just make sure he’s doing all of the little things right and listening to what those guys are telling him.”
(What have you learned about S Reshad Jones’ tolerance for pain and toughness since you’ve been here?) – “That’s a non-issue. If his body parts are working, he’s going to do everything he can to be on the field.”
(CB Bobby McCain has become a very valuable guy in the secondary because he can play so many spots. Where have you seen the most growth from him since the time he first got here?) – “I think it’s just experience, really. Just knowledge of offenses. When we first started, it started with leverage. He lost early in that first season on some routes. Then he made huge strides throughout the season. The longer we’ve gone, the tighter the coverage has gotten. The times that we’re throwing him outside when we’ve had injuries in the past, he’s gone out there, he’s been competitive, he’s been tight and he’s gotten his hands on some balls as far as some PBUs (pass breakups). I think he’s just to the point now where he’s able to play a lot smoother to where he kind of understands splits and concepts and things like that, that help him be able to break on throws and know where to position himself.”
(Offensively you’ve been able to turn turnovers into two touchdowns and two field goals. When you’ve committed a turnover, you’ve only allowed just one field goal. What does that say about your defense that it’s not letting the momentum swing for the other team in that sense?) – “I think they came in with a … They started in the spring with the right attitude of ‘it’s an opportunity to make something positive happen off of a negative play.’ I know (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke), that’s been something that he’s stressed right from the get go. We kind of took some steps to change how we were going onto the field, is what we talked about. Those guys have done a good job of embracing it and then actually going out there and executing it the exact way that they’ve talked about it. That’s big for us because that’s one of those kick in the gut, when you have a turnover, especially when it’s on your own end.”
(With running back obviously there’s a numbers game because RB Senorise Perry and RB Brandon Bolden have such great value on special teams. Do you tell RB Kalen Ballage that this just the way it is? Or do you try to incentivize him to say why don’t you do something to try to make us re-think this in terms of positive motivation?) – “I talk to (Ballage) quite a bit, almost every day at practice. I just try to give him a few words here and there to just remind him, you just keep doing what you are doing because he’s done a great job in practice every day. He’s in there, he has a smile on his face. He’s ready to go if he’s called on. He wants to play. You can tell with the way he practices. Every day he walks out there and there’s a statement with the way that he runs and thuds guys up and the way he works extremely hard on special teams to just keep trying to show those guys, ‘Hey, I’m ready to go when I’m called upon.’ It’s not an easy thing, especially for a young player – a rookie – to not be active; but I think he’s done a great job of handling this. We keep seeing him get better every day. You’re always hoping that everybody stays healthy. It’s just the NFL. You’re going to have guys here and there that go down and you just need everybody to be ready to go.”
(Do you still see more of a ceiling to get to for WR Albert Wilson? I’m sure that he knows the playbook at this point, but to become more fluent and just to have it come without thinking for him would be the next step.) – “I think that the more that we do with him and the longer that he’s in this, it’s only going to get easier for him. I don’t know if any of our guys will really say ‘Hey, I’ve got it,’ because you always want to be learning. You always want to be trying to figure out the next step, ‘What else can I do?’ He’s one of those type of guys. He’s always looking to contribute in any way, no matter what it is, whether he has the ball or not. I think that’s something that I’ve really come to appreciate about him. He’s unselfish. He cares about his group doing well and he’s a big part of making sure our guys are focused on winning. It’s not about numbers, it’s about how do we do well as a team.”
(Do you approach this season by rolling out your offense and scheme in phases, or do you just drop everything at once and do what you want to do right now?) – “We kind of whole, part, whole type deal as far as installing the offense. We give them a ton early, then we scale it back, and then we piecemeal it in. Then we drop a whole bunch on them again during training camp. Once you get to games, then it becomes little segments of it and you’re pulling things out of there, and the guys can fine-tune those types of things. Every week is a little bit different as far as what we’re doing, but most of this stuff they’ve heard before. They just may have to reach back a little further to remember it.”
(Using it in a game is what I was referring to. Are you trying to show some things now and hold some things for later that in a big picture sense of the entire season, they’re doing some things now that setup for later? Or do you just use everything?) – “You use everything you can to win that game. You don’t want to hold anything back.”
(The Raiders are second in sacks allowed. Is it a matter of getting the ball out fast or are they really good up front?) – “It’s both. Derek (Carr) has done a great job as far as getting the ball out extremely quick. His guys have done a good job of getting open really quick. Then you throw that line in front of him and that’s a large group of guys that have done a great job in previous years. They’ve never been an easy group to go against. They are hard to get around. They’re big guys that when you attack up the middle, you’re not going very far. If you go around the edge, usually by the time you get there, the ball is out. I think it’s a combination of wide outs, tight ends and quarterback getting the ball out, then you throw in the running game … That’s why when they go play-action, you see guys running free because the secondary, they’re on their own.”
(Has the development of WR Jakeem Grant gone as you expected?) – “It’s probably gone better than … Initially when we first started and he was in the slot, I think he struggled a little bit. I think when we moved him outside, that helped him a lot because it really helped him focus on limited things to where there’s not as many options and he could use his speed and his quickness to his advantage. The longer we’ve gone through this, I just keep seeing constant improvement. It’s nice to have that many wide receivers. You’re trying to always get these guys on the field. You can’t get them all on the field, but you keep trying to find ways to get those guys on the field, get them touches, make sure that whole group is involved in the game. You’re aware of it. His development has been one of the main reasons why we’re able to kind of look at it as five guys. He’s not just a specialist. He legitimately contributes to our offense.”
(Does WR Jakeem Grant’s size on the outside, isn’t that an extra – I don’t want to say a handicap – but an extra issue?) – “I think his quickness overrides any kind of size. If you notice, he gets a lot of off coverage because guys – they come up to press him and if they miss, he’s by you and you’re not going to catch him because his speed is so great. That’s why when we’ve thrown deep balls down the field against our defense, he’s just wide open because they miss him at the line of scrimmage. We haven’t really seen a whole bunch of that with him during the season, guys really play off on him and that’s why we get some of the underneath throws with him.”
(Has WR Jakeem Grant improved more at route-running precision or catching consistency?) – “I think both. I don’t know if I can tab one over the other. His knowledge of the offense is light-years from what it was that first year, and then that helps him be able to focus on things like route-running and catching the ball. If you’re not thinking about other stuff and you’re able to focus on catching the ball, that helps you.”
(I know you’re comfortable with S Minkah Fitzpatrick playing that nickel spot. He’s gotten settled in there, but how prepared is he to maybe move back if S Reshad Jones isn’t playing?) – “We’ve moved him all over the place, really since he’s been here. He’s played every position. The thing about him is he’s a quick study so he’s able to take limited reps in multiple spots and really absorb that. He’s always ready to go at whatever we ask him to do. He’s built a little different.”
(To the untrained eye, it appears LB Raekwon McMillan has been thinking too much a little bit, maybe. I’m wondering what you’ve seen from him. Are you seeing the aggressiveness or are you seeing him swarm to the ball like you like?) – “From preseason to the first game to the second game, I just see strides every week to where he’s more comfortable. I thought last game was better than the first one, and that’s what we want. We just want constant improvement. I think he is getting comfortable really working with Kiko (Alonso) and (Jerome) Baker and those guys are really developing a good chemistry there. Sometimes you forget he hadn’t really played an NFL game until we got going in the preseason. I think he’s a quick study. He puts a lot of work into this and he does well in practice. We just keep working on translating that to the game and trust what he sees, and just react and play like we know he can.”
(Does LB Raekwon McMillan make the calls? Does he have the headset?) – “It’s been both of those guys at some point since the preseason.”
(Can you talk about the importance of this theme – playing with an early lead. Does that change your play calling when you’re up?) – “It probably makes it more aggressive. I don’t know. I think it’s great for our defense because if we ever get a team into a situation where they have to throw it, and let those guys pass rush as much as possible for as long as possible, that’s really ideal for us. Those guys are disruptive. If we can put more pressure on the quarterback, that’s where turnovers come in handy. Shorter fields, (you) score more points.”
(Where did WR DeVante Parker leave off when he was hurt? How did you feel like he was playing through the summer?) – “Mentally I thought he was good as far as all of the stuff we were doing. I know he didn’t feel like training camp was going as smooth as he wanted it to be. I think he was hoping he would make more plays in practice on some of those 50/50 balls; but a lot of the other things were really good with what we were working on. I feel like he’s in a good place right now. I think just really taking a step back and getting healthy and staying engaged in everything, it’s helped him. I love how his attitude has been since he’s really been back practicing with us. His energy level and his legs look great, as far as running. He’s had a good four days when he’s practiced.”
(Was WR DeVante Parker physically good in August? You said mentally he was good.) – “Yes. He was.”
(Was it because he was playing against CB Xavien Howard so much?) – “It might have been. I don’t know. It’s hard to say that’s what anything was. He’s so used to coming down with a lot of those balls. It might have been a little bit of Xavien just competing that much tighter than maybe what he was used to.”
(But WR DeVante Parker was where you wanted him physically?) – “Yes.”
(Is it clear in your mind if WR DeVante Parker is going to play Sunday?) – “I don’t know. We’ll find out.”
(With WR DeVante Parker, is that a missing element – that big, rangy body? Because you have a bunch of smaller receivers.) – “I think it’s always nice to have as many different body types as possible, different skill sets. It just makes it harder on the defense. The wider the variety, the better it is for us.”
(I saw a stat that RB Frank Gore is No. 1 in the NFL in least time spent behind the line of scrimmage. Obviously there’s something to that. What does that tell you? And even though he and RB Kenyan Drake have different body types, strengths and running styles, are you hoping that there’s any part of on-field that Kenyan sees Frank do that helps his game?) – “I think they both really learn from each other. There’s things I’m sure that Frank watches what Kenyan does and he might drop that into his game, and vice versa. That’s really what you want. When you have two guys that really have to play off of each other during a game, you want those guys to constantly be communicating and talking and ‘What did you see? How did you look at this?’ Frank does have a knack. He has forever (had a knack) of avoiding the negative plays. You really have to have just a flat out bum rush for him to get a negative yardage (play). He just has that little bit of a wiggle there at the end and then he’s powerful enough to push the line of scrimmage forward.”
(With running backs, on the topic, it’s clear every week they do something to show their pass-catching skills. We saw RB Frank Gore with a third-and-19 last week. Is that something that’s vital for you with your backs? Could you ever envision having a back here who’s not a good receiver out of the backfield or is that essential to what you want from that position?) – “I mean I like guys that can do everything, where you can run the ball, you can catch the ball and you can protect. When you have somebody that (you can use) only at this point in the game – first and second down, or short yardage or third down – it can limit you. I like guys being able to get in a rhythm and stay in a whole series instead of coming in and out. I think the group we have right now, I like that group. I like all of those guys. We can put any one of those guys in the game. We feel really good about it. I think as deep as we are, hopefully we aren’t bringing anybody in for a while.”
Frank Gore – September 20, 2018
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Thursday, September 20, 2018
RB Frank Gore
(How cool is it to have the jersey you wore on Sunday go to the Hall of Fame?) – “It was cool. I think whoever does something special or big, like I did, passing someone or whoever breaks the record, I think they always do that for everybody. But it was cool.”
(Do you have any other pieces of equipment that you’ve worn that’s already at the Hall of Fame or is that the first one?) – “I think I’ve got some San Fran stuff in there. That’s why I think whoever does something good, who passes somebody or breaks a record on a Sunday, a piece goes to the Hall (of Fame). it was big.”
(Have you toured the Hall of Fame?) – “I think I played in the Hall of Fame Game, but I didn’t tour it, no.”
(Is it sort of weird your jersey is in there before you’re in there physically?) – “(laughter) Hopefully I’ll keep going and when that time comes, if I get in there, I’ll be happy about that. But I really don’t think about, though.”
(When you see someone like Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch who’s been doing it a long time like you, is there a running back to running back mutual respect?) – “That’s my man. Marshawn is my man. I know him. He’s a friend of mine. I love the way he plays the game of football. I’m happy that he came back because I knew that he still could play the game. I’m happy that a dude who came in back when I came in is still going. That’s a plus for us.”
(You always get a lot of personality on the field with RB Marshawn Lynch. Do you like watching him sometimes when he gets into his antics a little bit?) – “I like watching him. Hopefully we don’t get too much to watch of him this week. (laughter) We (need to) go out there and do what we’ve got to do to try to get a win.”
(Do you guys have a lot in common personality-wise? You seem pretty different from RB Marshawn Lynch.) – “We’re cool, but I’m more laid-back. I just come to work and work. So yes, we’re different.”
(Do you look at it like living vicariously sometimes, like it might be fun to kind of act like RB Marshawn Lynch for a day?) – “(laughter) Marshawn is Marshawn. I respect the way he plays the game. He plays the game the right way. We both do. I’m proud of what he’s doing and I know he’d probably say the same.”
(You’ve played with a lot of receivers in your time. Have you someone like WR Albert Wilson of that size who can break tackles like that?) – “He’s like a little running back. Tough. I like the way he plays the game too. He practices hard. When I was watching him in Kansas City, I said the same thing, the way he breaks tackles. I’m happy he’s on my team.”
(You said you were happy in training camp you were happy to accept the role, whatever it may be, that Head Coach Adam Gase had for you. Now have you embraced this role where they can count on you when they put you in?) – “I feel that my coaches and my teammates know the way I work and just seeing me in practice and know when I’m in the game, that it’s just like a starter out there. I’m just going to keep making plays when my number gets called.”
(Where is your edge right now because your credentials speak for themselves to be a future Hall of Famer. Is it more now that you’re here playing for your hometown team?) – “Yes, I love it. I still want to have success. I still feel good. I still feel I can play with the young guys. Like I said, when my number gets called, I try my best to make some plays.”
(Your snaps probably would have been more last week if not for the fact there was a drive or two where there were some issues early not involving you. Has Coach Gase said this is about the way he envisions it?) – “We don’t talk (about that). However the game goes, whenever my number gets called, my number gets called and when I’m out there, I’m going to try to have success.”
(Does RB Marshawn Lynch really eat that many Skittles?) – “I don’t know. (laughter)”
(Some people or outsiders may think you came here as some sort of victory lap or farewell tour, but you came here with the mind-set to compete with RB Kenyan Drake for a job, right?) – “Yes. I did; but they were real with me from the jump. They respect Kenyan Drake. I do too. I love the way he practices. I love how he prepares himself to get ready to play on Sunday. Whoever is out there, we’re going to try to do our best.”
(Did you come here thinking, I’m going to get the chance to earn … I will get whatever I deserve based on how I practice or you wouldn’t have come here otherwise, I assume?) – “I told myself when they signed me and they talked about (Kenyan) Drake, how much they liked him and the type of player he is, we were going to go out there and both compete against each other, and whatever happens, happens. He’s our starter and whenever our number gets called, whoever is in the game, we both help this team be successful. That’s the way it is.”
(Even though you are competing against each other, your lockers are next to each other, you watch film together, you play together. Have you taken RB Kenyan Drake under your wing?) – “Oh, yes. Drake is a great dude, a great kid. He approaches the game the right way and he’s very talented. Talented and fast. I like the way he plays the game.”
(Does RB Kenyan Drake ask questions?) – “Yes, he does. Drake will have a great career.”
(In the offseason, you took up boxing to help you prepare physically. Do you have a boxer’s mentality when you’re out there to attack?) – “Yes, I’m trying to win every round. (laughter) I’m not out there all the time, so when my round comes, I’ve got to try to knock him out. I’m going to try to keep going, keep working hard in practice and when Coach Gase calls my number again on the field, I’ll try my best to make something happen.”
(How has the boxing helped?) – “It helps me with conditioning and also saving my legs. It’s tough.”
(What do you like about that as far as the mental aspect of boxing?) – “It challenges me because I thought I knew how to fight, and then when I started, I felt like I couldn’t. (laughter) I just kept going, kept going and I got better.”
(How often does the age difference show up between you and RB Kenyan Drake? How often do you make reference to something that he’s too young to have heard or, or he mentions something where you’re like, I’ve got to ask my kids about this?) – “No, no. (laughter) We don’t really talk about old or stuff like that. We don’t really get into stuff like that.”
Raekwon McMillan – September 20, 2018
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Thursday, September 20, 2018
Linebacker Raekwon McMillan
(On playing against Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch) – “It’s a great opportunity to play against a great back like this. Everybody talks about beast mode. Hopefully we can stop him and keep this good run defense going.”
(With your experience, how much has the game slowed down for you?) – “A lot. I sat out last year, but this year I’m actually able to go out there and actually play. Last year, I had to sit from the sidelines and watch and observe. Actually being out there, you actually get game reps in and I’m not a rookie anymore, so I have to go out there and hold my own.”
(You’re not a rookie but you’re technically a rookie.) – “I’m a rookie out there on the field but I’m not a rookie if you look at it on paper.”
(With the Raiders, obviously they have a good challenge with TE Jared Cook and RB Marshawn Lynch. What’s the challenge when you have to stop an athletic tight end and a physical running game for a linebacker?) – “You have to have interchangeable packages. When it’s a passing down, you get your guys in for a passing down. When it’s the run game, you load it up. You have to know the tendencies of the offense. Just basic film, we can study – just watching what their tendencies are and what they like to do with Marshawn (Lynch) and when they like to feed him the ball and when they like to get everybody else the ball.”
(When do they like to feed RB Marshawn Lynch the ball?) – “They’re like feeding him the ball early to get their offense going. They like to get out quick and then pound you on offense. They have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, so they pound on you. They really haven’t scored a lot of points in the last two games, but the quarterback is very accurate and they can get on you fast.”
DeVante Parker – September 20, 2018
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Thursday, September 20, 2018
WR DeVante Parker
(Have you been given any indication if you’re playing Sunday?) – “No. I’m feeling good these past couple days and (we’re)just going to see what happens on Sunday.”
(Did Head Coach Adam Gase ever give you much of an explanation as to why you didn’t play last week?) – “He just told me it wouldn’t hurt to have another extra couple days off, just to make sure the hand gets enough rest for it, and I was okay with that.”
(Does the hand feel that much better after a few more days?) – “It does, actually.”
(Do you notice it?) – “Yes. (It’s a) big difference.”
(What’s your level of, I guess, antsy-ness to get out there and help the team win?) – “It’s very high. Missing, what, two games? Missing the first two games, I’m just ready to get back out there whenever that chance is.”
(Do you have everything back from skill standpoint with the finger healed? Can you pretty much do everything at this point?) – “Yes, I can catch – catch the same – and blocking. Everything is still there.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said that he likes where you are right now from a mental standpoint in terms of your approach to practice. Can you describe the approach you’ve tried to take, especially in the last few weeks?) – “I’ve tried to just come out there (and) have energy, get going out there and moving around. It’s a lot better than being out and missing. So, when I come back, I just bring energy. I’m just ready to be out there and get going.”
(Any lesson you may have learned or anything along the way you might’ve learned about yourself the last couple weeks?) – “No. I’m the same me. That’s it.”
(How good can this receiving group be? Injecting your ability with a group that’s already good – all of five of you, plus WR Tanner McEvoy – what’s your assessment of how good that group can be?) – “I feel like we can be very good. Everyone has their different traits that they bring to the table and coach is going to find some way to utilize that and find ways to pick defenses apart.”
(How much fun do you think it’ll be to actually be on the field with QB Ryan Tannehill again in a game that really counts?) – “I think it’s going to be exciting. Just being out there with him. We still have the same connection (as) when I was playing before and I’m just looking forward to it again.”
Ryan Tannehill – September 19, 2018
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Wednesday, September 19, 2018
QB Ryan Tannehill
(So Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden made you the quarterback you are today, basically, because of his QB camp?) – “Yes. I thank that QB camp for everything – not my teammates or my coaching staff or all of the people who helped me along the way. (laughter) It was that three hours I spent with Gruden, no question. (laughter)”
(Do you have any good memories from Jon Gruden’s QB Camp or any funny stories of him?) – “Yes, it was a good time. I think you have such a respect for him coming out of college and what he was as a coach and then the personality as a commentator and then he starts the FFCA – Fired Football Coaches of America. (laughter) I had fun with it. He still grinded away. He’s in his little cave there in Tampa and I had a good time. We talked a lot of ball and then went out onto the field and through it around a little bit.”
(Were you around him enough that you picked up some of the mannerisms? Can you do a good Gruden impression?) – “I don’t know if I can do a good Gruden (impression), but he always pronounced my name funny. Tanney-hill. (laughter) That’s probably all I’ve got. (laughter)”
(Did you ever correct Gruden?) – “Eh. It was close enough. (laughter)”
(So it’s a big grudge match on Sunday then so you can show Gruden.) – “Yes, a huge grudge match. It’ll probably make all of the headlines – a huge grudge match. (laughter) No, it was a good time. I had a lot of fun with it. I think he enjoyed doing it along the way. It was definitely something I look back and have fond memories of.”
(When people have an idea of mobile quarterbacks, they talk QB Cam Newton, QB Marcus Mariota and QB Alex Smith. Your name doesn’t often come up but if you look at your stats, you’re right there. Do you feel like you are a mobile quarterback? Are you a guy that relishes running?) – “Yes. I don’t really care if people want to consider it or talk about me; but it’s something I like to use. When the defense presents itself, whenever we feel like we can use it as a weapon – whether it’s through the zone read game or getting outside the pocket and running – it’s definitely something that I think can add an element to our offense to where teams have to defend it.”
(I guess the first play of the game last week, I think you said it wasn’t a designed run. That was supposed to be a throw?) – “Yes, that was just a bootleg pass. Danny (Amendola) ended up getting hung up on the back side, so there was a ton of space there and I was able to scoot through.”
(What kind of tone does that set when you can rip off a 20- or 25-yard run on the first play of the game?) – “It’s always good to get started with an explosive (play) – whether it’s a run or a pass. Something we talk about a lot is coming out and getting that first first down, because we feel like once we get our first first down, we usually sustain drives. To be able to come out and get an explosive (play) early is big.”
(Those runs are something you’ve done in your past, especially in 2016. Are you kind of surprised that they kind of just leave that open for you a little bit and that teams haven’t really picked up on the fact that you can run it?) – “Well, teams know. I think it’s just a matter of defending it. It’s hard to defend those plays. When you put pressure on them and change up the looks you’re giving the defensive end with the guy is cutting back, the guy is blocking him, the guy is going around him – they’re seeing a bunch of different looks. We try to mix it up as much as we can so they don’t just know zone read is coming at them. They have to play what they see. When there is any hesitation, the offense can get the advantage.”
(You’ve won two-thirds of your games with Head Coach Adam Gase and nine out of your last 10 games with him. I know you can kind of make what you want of statistics but I was wondering what you think it is about the combination of you and Coach Gase that is working.) – “I think we work well together. I think there was a little bit of a period of finding out what each other did well and how we could best push each other and push this offense and work together. I think we kind of figured that out midway through 2016, then we started playing well and then unfortunately I got injury. But yes, I think it’s just the cohesion of our two minds. We work really well together. We think alike. He’s constantly pushing me to get better, whether it’s something pre-snap, post-snap, during the play, a footwork thing or what to look at. He’s constantly just pushing little areas where I can get better. I love it. I love trying to push myself and being the best quarterback I can be.”
(At 2-0, are you starting to see reasons why you’re having success? Are there things that you are doing consistently – not you, but the offense – that leads to winning football games?) – “Well, I think they were two different games. If you look at the first game and then this last one, we found a way to win both games and they were two completely different ballgames. What I like is the fact that this team has a hunger and a desire to find a way to win. That’s what it comes down to. It’s not always going to be pretty. Sometimes you’re going to be clicking on all cylinders for the whole game. Sometimes we started off playing really well (last week) and balancing off the defense, then in the second half we couldn’t quite get it going and weren’t playing great; but when it came down to it at the end, when we needed something to make it happen, we hung in there and fought and were able to run out the clock. I like the grit I see from this team. We have a lot of talent and a lot of guys that can be explosive with the ball in their hands. We’ve got to have that in order to be successful for four quarters. I like the grit I see and the mindset that we have that we’re going to find a way to win this game.”
(You’re putting up the stats, yet the team is eighth running the football. I imagine you’re good with a running offense, no?) – “Yes, I’m good with whatever is winning. Whatever scores points. That’s the goal of the offense is to be able to put the ball in the end zone. Whether that’s running or throwing, whatever it may be, I’m all in on getting the ball in the end zone.”
(It seems on the field you’re having a lot of fun. Is the most fun you’ve had in your career?) – “Yes, I think so. Just where I’m at in life now, how much gratitude I have after being away from the game for so long and just being able to do what I love, go out there every day, be around the guys, push the guys, try to make them the best they can be and then go out and compete on Sundays, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
(I know you probably don’t care about this but I’m curious what your theory would be. Expectations were obviously so low nationally for this team – a 3-13 record thrown out by Sports Illustrated – like really bad. Your theory is to why that is? And, in your mind, do you think people nationally might just underestimate some of your younger players that aren’t household names, like RB Kenyan Drake, WR Jakeem Grant and people like that?) – “I don’t know and I don’t really care, honestly. (laughter) I don’t want to really even think about it because I care that (little). What the national media says doesn’t really matters. What matters is the guys in this building, all the work that’s put in, the belief that we have in one another and going out and executing and finding ways to win.”
(And as far as some of the young players not being that known, do you think there could be anything to that in general?) – “Yes, I want to see our young guys get a lot of shine. We have a lot of talent on this team and I want to see them get the exposure that they deserve because I believe in them. I know that they can make big plays for us and they’re going to make big plays for us, and they should get some recognition for that. Hopefully, we just keep taking this one game at a time and it’ll take care of itself.”
(Alright, the most important question of the day: The WR Albert Wilson celebration. It looks like you tried to jump in and then you backed off. What happened?) – “Yes, I felt like I was kind of late to the party and they were already there, so I just kind of pointed at them like, ‘Hey, these are the guys who make it happen’ and let them get their shine. I didn’t want to jump in the front of their photo or anything like that. They seemed like they were having a good time. I wanted to get in but felt like I was late, so I just kind of stood to the side, pointed at them like, ‘Hey, these are the guys who make it happen.’”
(With what you have available offensively to you, how is it better than what you had in the past?) – “I don’t know. I’m not here to compare this year to last year or anything like that but I believe in the guys that we have. We have so much speed in the wide receiver room. You add in Mike Gesicki at tight end, Kenyan Drake out of the backfield, and we really have a bunch of game-breaker type guys that can really take a short pass or a run and go the distance at any point. It’s just a matter of getting the ball in their hands and letting them work.”
(That seems like an ideal situation for a quarterback – a short pass is not a very risky pass in a lot of cases – and then these guys can turn it into a big play.) – “Yes, I love throwing to these guys. It’s a lot of fun. You see Albert Wilson take a short pass this last game. He hit the guy with a ‘dead leg’ and was able to speed up the sideline for a touchdown. We also have the speed to get behind them. We can stretch the defense in a lot of different ways and get the ball in the playmakers’ hands and let them work.”
(Relatively, those are not difficult throws; is that part of the reason your completion percentage is so high, because these are such low-risk passes?) – “I guess. I don’t know. Just because I throw it short doesn’t mean it’s always low risk. It’s all relative. Putting the ball in the right spot, where the play call and the coverage dictates where the ball should go, that’s what matters. It should be low risk if I’m going to the right spot with the ball.”
(It seems like there’s this culture being created here, where every week some guys don’t necessarily know if they’re going to be playing a lot, if they’re going to be may be inactive. The question is kind of about the competitiveness that’s being instilled here. Can you talk about what you’ve seen in that area and how the coaches relate to the players?) – “I don’t know exactly the private conversations that are held, but I know that going out to practice each and every day, that we want to compete. We want to push each other. You have to play well week to week. That’s what it comes down to is guys practicing hard, getting better week in and week out, pushing each other, and we want our best guys on the field.”
(I know it’s only been a couple games this year, but what’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed on the field since the last time you were on the field in 2016?) – “It’s tough to say. That was so long ago. Like I said, this team has grit. I think that team had grit too. We found a way to win games at the end in 2016 and it seems like we’re turning into that team here as well. It’s early. We have a lot of football left in front of us. It’s only Week 3, but this is a big week for us and we need to find a way to come out with a win.”
(Were you surprised that WR DeVante Parker was down this past week?) – “I don’t know. It was kind of up in the air on if he was going to be able to go or not coming off the injury. Breaking in that finger – that’s a bad word, right, for a broken finger? (laughter) – getting comfortable, I guess, coming off the broken finger and the surgery and the confidence of where he was at. I knew it was kind of back and forth throughout the week. I didn’t really know going into the weekend where it was going to be, but I thought Jakeem (Grant) and the other guys did a good job. Hopefully we’ll have him back soon.”
(Why are you thinking this is a big week? What goes through your mind when you are processing this game?) – “Because it’s the next one. It’s the next one. I know you hate that answer, but that’s what it is. (laughter) It’s a home game and it’s an AFC opponent. We want to play well at home; we want to win at home. We have a big opportunity and we have to take advantage of it.”
(Does the fact that good teams don’t lose to winless teams come into play at all?) – “No. No. At some point, teams are going to win. That hadn’t even crossed my mind. It hadn’t even crossed my mind. It’s just a matter of going out, controlling what we control and executing, and we’ll be happy with the result.”
